Recycling Christmas Trees For Free

It seems like you just got the last ornament on the tree and now it's time to take everything down.

There are several places around the Sacramento region that will dispose of your Christmas tree for free.

In Sacramento County, there are half-a-dozen tree disposal sites, including the North Area, Elder Creek, Kiefer, and Fruitridge locations, and the SMUD Corporation Yard.

The Dan Russell Rodeo Arena in Folsom and the landfill on Fiddyment Road in Roseville will also take trees for free through the first weekend in January.

In Roseville, the city's Brian Jacobson says you can also cut up the tree and stuff it in a green-waste can or, "You can take an un-flocked tree to some of our tree drop off sites. We have three in the city," Jacobsen says. "They are at Maidu Park, Mahany Park and Saugstad Park and those will be open through January 5th."

The trees must be free of lights, tinsel, nails, and stands. Flocked trees will not be recycled. They'll be taken to a landfill.

Erin Treadwell with the City of Sacramento says people with leaf service can put the trees out with their leaf piles and the trees will be recycled.

"Christmas trees along with other yard waste material is composted, chipped, mulched, used for soil amendments, ground cover. One plant does take it to burn to convert to energy."

People in the City of Sacramento with leaf service have until the end of January to get their trees to the curb for free pickup.